Dork Meets Dancer
by QuidProDork
Summary: I was just a dork with no friends except for Sue, oblivious to most of the Glee kids hating me, and wallowing in my lack of a social life. Then I met Mike Chang, and things started looking up. Even if we have to keep it a secret from the other Glee kids.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes:** I already have the first three chapter typed up, thanks to 's "Two Day No Spam" rule, so if I spam you, I apologize.

**Disclaimer:** If you recognize anything in this story from anywhere but here, it's not mine, and I don't claim to own it.

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It was almost lunch time on a Tuesday afternoon, and already my nerves were almost totally fried. There'd been too much stuff going on, too many people talking about the new girl who'd joined us for this semester. I felt very sorry for her, having to deal with all the small town gossips. _I_ could barely deal with them, and they never even talked about _me._ In order for them to talk about me, that would require they even notice my existence, which very few people did.

I was incredibly shy when it came to people my age, and had very few friends. Sure, I would eventually make friends, hang out every day, then when Summer Break would come, we'd grow apart without school to keep us together, and at the start of the new school year, the process would repeat with entirely new people. That's how it had been for the past 5 years, and probably how it would be until I went on to college. I had no problem with this. I did have one friend who was surprisingly more loyal than any friend I'd ever had before.

The bell signaling lunch shrieked—or that's how it seemed to my muddled brain—and tore me from my thoughts. It was then I'd spent the last ten minutes of my Algebra class completely spacing out. Thankfully no one had noticed, so I gathered up my things and slipped out of the room, allowing myself to get lost in the crowd as I headed to my next destination.

There were two places that I spent my lunch period; the library, which was really more of a last resort, and Sue Sylvester's office. Sue was a. . . . complicated person. Everyone in the school hated and feared her, some respected her, and hardly anybody liked her. I was one of those few that could say they were among the few that actually liked her. True, Sue could be a royal bitch the likes of which no one had ever seen before, but I was fortunate enough to see another side to her.

It was around the time when the Glee club (ugh) was going to Regionals, and everybody was talking about it. Now, don't get me wrong, I harbor no ill will towards the Glee club. I think it's absolutely wonderful what they do, I'm happy that they're doing something they enjoy, but good _god_ I couldn't care less about that damn club. I don't hate them, I just _don't care._ Anyway, like I said. Everyone was talking about Glee club, and I couldn't take hearing about them anymore, so I'd ducked into the first open room I saw to escape. It just so happened to be Sue's office. She'd demanded to know what I was doing in her office, and when I explained the situation, her hostility ebbed a bit. Even a blind monkey could see that Sue hated the Glee club with a passion. Her reasons are still unknown even to me. She reluctantly had let me stay, and over the next couple of weeks leading up to Regionals, it had become a daily event, my hiding in Sue's office. We would talk while I was in there, and ended up actually growing kind of close. Regionals came and went, and I still hung out in her office, because now we were actually really good friends.

Do I even need to explain the irony in that the social hermit's only real friend at school is, according to everyone else, the biggest bitch in the entire place? I think not.

Getting back on track—They'll be plenty more side-tracking here, folks, so no worries—I made my way through the hallway crowd towards Sue's office, eager to see my only friend and have her sooth my frayed nerves. Unfortunately, upon reaching her office, I found the door locked and the lights off.

"Fudge bucket," I muttered in a defeated tone, slumping. Yes, people, I come up with my own creative replacements for curse words. Leave me and my special hobbies alone.

Grumbling many more of these creative epithets under my breath, I turned on my heel to go trudge off to the library to have lunch there, figuring if Sue came back and wanted to hang, she knew where to find me. I got about five paces down the hall before I suddenly found myself on my back on the floor, my backpack gone flying, spilling its contents along the way, and all thanks to the random asian kid who was now on top of me.

"Crap! Oh jeez! I'm so sorry!" he spluttered embarrassed as he shot to his feet, yanking me to my feet so fast I nearly toppled over again. I arched an eyebrow at his choice of curses. What, were we suddenly on national television or something? He knew he could curse like a sailor, right?

I waved off his pestering questions about any injuries and shook my head. "I'm fine. Just dazed is all," I said, turning to go gather up my books, only to find him already dashing over to pick them up himself. I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from asking him where he got his crack. Someone was rather. . . . energetic.

I walked over and squatted down next to him to help him out, and I finally got a good look at him. It was then that I realized I recognized him. He was one of the Glee club kids, and I'd seen him dancing through the halls a couple times. I remember being shocked each time, as I'd never seen random dancing outside of a music video or a musical. It was certainly odd to say the least.

I picked up the remaining books and stuffed them into my backpack which he was holding before standing up, him getting back to his feet as well. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked concerned as he handed me my backpack, still on about the possibly-hurting-me thing. The temptation to roll my eyes was nigh irresistible, but I managed to stifle it, simply looking at him as I slung my backpack over my shoulder.

"For the umpteenth time, I'm fine. And here's a hint: get decaf next time, Twinkle Toes," I said before walking past him on my way to the library, feeling a bit bad for brushing him off so rudely when he'd seemed genuinely concerned, but more surprised at my audacity. Granted, yes, I am usually a rather snarky person, but normally I'm too shy around people to show that. I was actually kind of proud of myself that I had run off as a blushing, stuttering mess like I usually would when confronted with a cute guy.

. . . . Holy fuckballs, did I seriously just write that? More importantly, why am I not deleting it? What the hell is wrong with me? Ah well.

Again I was intercepted on my way to the library, but this time it was thankfully by Sue. As she was passing me by, she'd spun me around so I was facing the same way she was and hooked an arm around my neck, dragging me alongside her as we headed to back to her office. She started talking at me, but I was distracted by the asian boy whom we passed by on our way to her office. He was staring at me with a confused, if somewhat hurt (damnit), expression. Our eye-locking was brief, as a short asian girl whom I also recognized as a Glee club member pounced on him from behind and pulled him in for a kiss. I promptly looked away just in time to be dragged into Sue's office and have the door shut, blocking out the couple.

"Were you listening to a word I said?"

Sue's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I looked at her as I sat in the chair in front of her desk. "Depends, would I get hit for saying no?" I said as I arranged myself in the chair in a way that was comfortable for me but might be uncomfortable for others.

Sue snorted as she sat at her desk and set her lunch sack on the desk. "Not unless you get within arm's reach," she quipped with a smirk. It was my turn to snort this time.

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled. "But the honest answer would be no."

"I was asking you how your day went so far. I can tell, though, by the look on your face that it hasn't gone that well," she said as she pulled an apple out of the lunch sack and took a crunchy bite. I sighed and rubbed my face.

"There's just too much stuff going on. No one will shut up about the new girl. It's like everyone in this bloody school has been turned into old women who have nothing better to do that gossip," I muttered, letting my head fall back so I was now looking at the ceiling. "Then I got accosted by one of the jerks in my Algebra class for the answers to the homework. My nerves are just completely shot right now."

"Here. This might help," Sue said as she tossed me a candy bar which I, of course, missed and picked up out of my lap. Sue always kept an extra candy bar stashed in her desk just in case I needed it when I was stressed out or PMSing. "If you were 21, I'd give you alcohol, which works even better. "Unfortunately you're only 17, and I have no intention of going to jail."

"Another thing we have in common," I said with a snort as I tore open the foil wrapper and happily took a bite. I could already feel the chocolate soothing my anxiety and calming me down. I was certain that once I finished it, I could handle the rest of the day with little to no problem.

"So how do you know Mike Chang?" Sue suddenly asked me out of the blue, earning a very confused look from me.

"Who?" I said after swallowing a bite. I hated talking with my mouth full. It was obnoxious, and not very attractive. But back to the point at hand.

Like I said, lots of side-tracking.

"Mike Chang. That boy you were staring at as we walked to my office just a couple minutes ago," Sue said, making a vague gesture to the door of her office. It took a moment for my synapses to recall this particular memory, and realized she meant the asian kid who'd essentially ran me over.

"Oh, him. He ran into me in the hallway, knocked me off my feet, sent my books falling. Helped me pick them up. That's about it, really. Why do you ask?" I said as I took another bite of the candy bar, a bit sad to see I only had two bites left. How had I already eaten more than half of it?

"Do you like him?" she retorted. I nearly choked on the bite of candy bar in my mouth and gaped at her in shock. Surely she couldn't be serious? (And don't call her Shirley) (Yes, there will also be randomness, get over it)

"N-No!" I stammered, though I could already feel my cheeks heating up at the blatant lie, dagnabbit. Though, was it even a lie? I thought he was cute. Did that mean I liked him? If thinking someone was cute meant you liked them, then yes, I was a big fat liar. But that's beside the point. "Besides, I'm pretty sure he has a girlfriend."

"I can fix that for you," Sue said, getting that look in her eye again. I knew that look all too well. The woman was plotting. And this time, I would not stand for it.

"Sue, no. Just. . . . no. Look, I let you slide by with your demented little plots to destroy the Glee club, but I will not, repeat, _will not_ let you make evil plans to interfere with my love life!" I exclaimed, pointing a warning finger at her while giving her the evil eye. Sadly, Sue's pretty damn tough, and I'm not that intimidating to begin with, so she wasn't fazed at all.

"You don't have one," she pointed out dryly. I was forced to once again ignore the voice in my head that reminded me how much I _did_ want a love life. I was in the middle of an argument, and I was gonna win come hell or high water, logic and actual feelings be damned!

"Yes, and I'm fine with that," I said curtly, crossing my arms, refusing to back down from her glare, simply glaring at her right back. The voice in my head sing-songing 'liar, liar' only further fueled my temper. "I don't _need_ a love life, let alone ruin someone else's to get it! They seem happy together, so just leave them be. Promise me, you will leave them be." Sue paused, much too long for my liking. "Sue, promise me that you will not try to break them up so you can then try and play matchmaker to set me up with Whatshisface!"

After a few more moments of glaring, Sue finally sighed huffily. "I promise," she relented, grumbling, slumping back in her chair with her apple. I relaxed, very relieved, and returned to my chocolate bar, which I ended up finishing in one bite.

"Good," I said once I swallowed, licking the chocolate from my fingers. With that little argument out of the way, we lapsed back into a casual conversation like always, all the while I doodled in my sketchbook and Sue worked on her schedule for the Cheerios for this semester. And much too soon for my liking, the bell rang, signaling time for my last two classes of the day. I gave Sue a quick hug—I was one of the few who could do so without fear of getting my head karate chopped off—and dashed off, once again disappearing into the sea of students.

The rest of my school day passed by in a rather uneventful blur. After leaving Sue I'd gone on to my Chemistry class, and then skipped happily to Art, my favorite class and also my last class of the day. I ended up staying late an extra hour after school to work on my project for our sculpture assignment, before finally trekking out to ride my bike home.

On my way out, I found myself following the Glee club out the door, no doubt coming from practice. I spotted three girls who I recognized and always thought I could get alone with but was too scared to approach, a girl I didn't recognize who I assumed was the new girl, and then I spotted Mike with his girlfriend whose name I either didn't know or couldn't remember. I debated on slowing my usually fast pace so as to stay behind them as we left, but they were walking much too slowly for my liking, and I _really_ wanted to just go home so I could watch some scary movies while doing my homework. So if anything, I quickened my pace to get ahead of them.

As I passed Mike, I ended up glancing at him and found him looking at me. He looked like he was going to say something, but I was now in the middle of the crowd of Glee kids, and my social paranoia was starting to spike, so I continued walking as fast as I could, and was past them before you could say "hold your horses!" I could hear them all talking and laughing as I unlocked my bike, trying to hurry while also trying not to make a fool of myself, wanting to speed off on my bike before they got too close.

After a few messed up attempts at dialing in the combo—How hard is it remembering the date the world was supposed to end? I mean, honestly!—I had the lock off and stuffed into my backpack. Making sure my backpack was secure on my back before swinging a leg over and mounting my bike (stop giggling), I was then quickly off on my way home. And I can't be entirely sure, but I think as I started pedaling away I heard someone from the Glee kids call my name.

Weird.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days passed by rather uneventfully. English, World History, break spent hiding in the library, Creative Writing, Algebra, lunch spent with Sue, Chemistry, Art, staying late to work on my project, then riding my bike home to spend the rest of the evening locked in my room with my dog Sven while avoiding my parents pestering me to finally get a social life. The school year was already halfway over, and the usual pattern seemed to be breaking. And not in a good way.

We were in the second semester, and I still had as of yet to make any friends my own age. Usually people would end up talking to me, but no one had really talked to me at all, aside from the Mike boy yesterday. I was starting to wonder if I'd even have any friends at all this year, aside from Sue. I could already see the answer forming in the magic eight ball in my mind: Out look not so good.

It was early on a Friday morning, and I decided to come in early to get some more work done on my project which was due Wednesday of next week. I loved to do anything that kept my hands busy, but art was my greatest passion, writing coming in at a close second. I was always drawing, doodling, and even making my own little clay sculptures at home. If it involved being creative, I loved doing it.

The halls were disturbingly quiet, so to compensate I cranked up the volume on my iPod, while also taking one ear bud out, just in case. Did I watch too many horror movies? Probably. The least I could say is if real life turned into a horror movie, I would probably be the one to end up surviving in the end. I knew _all_ the rules to live by in a horror movie. But anyway, the creepiness of the silence wasn't helped by the fact that the sun was just starting to rise, and the bright, fluorescent lights of the school made the hazy twilight outside seem even darker. A subconscious shiver worked its way down my spine. Thankfully I was nearing my destination, so I quickened my pace, disguising it by skipping. I was just reaching for the doorknob when it suddenly swung open, smashed into my face, and sent me sprawling backwards.

Really, Fate? _Really?_

I quickly reached up to feel my nose; it wasn't bleeding and it didn't feel broken, but I did let out a hefty sneeze, a weird automatic response to any sort of blunt trauma to my nose. Just as I was getting ready to cuss out the genius who'd bashed me in the face with the door, I looked up and found myself looking up at none other than Mike friggin' Chang. Again.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this," I quipped, shaking my head as I accepted his hand and used it to pull myself to my feet. I was quite grateful now that my nose wasn't bleeding or broken; the last thing I wanted for him to feel awful and try and take care of me. That, and I was almost positive that the nurse hadn't even come in yet. It was only the principal and the janitor, as far as I knew.

"I'm so sorry about this. Are you-"

"I'm fine," I interrupted him before he could get going. "If anything, I'll have a bruise, but otherwise my nose is fine. No worse than Tuesday."

He gave a sort of wry smile at that, which confused me. Until he said, "So you do remember me. Then again, who can forget Twinkle Toes?" I cringed so hard at that, I didn't think my face would ever become un-cringed again, and I felt a spark of guilt settle nicely in the pit of my stomach.

"I'm really sorry about that. I was having a bad day, and I took it out on you, and I really shouldn't have. I'm so-"  
This time it was my turn to get interrupted, as he suddenly held up a hand to silence me and said, rather amused, "It's fine. I can understand. Though, just out of curiosity, what brings you here so early?"

I blinked and shrugged. "I was coming in to get some work on my project," I said, motioning to the door to the Art Room which we stood in front of. "Why are you here so early?"

He chuckled and grinned broadly at me. "Same thing, actually," he said with a shrug. I couldn't hide my shock at that.

"You take Art?" I blurted.

"Yeah, I do. You wanna see what I've got so far of my project? Come on," he grinned, not waiting for a response before taking my wrist—forcing me to ignore a small, abnormal fluttering in my chest—and leading me inside the room.

He sat me in at one of the tables before quickly dashing into the back to go grab his project. He returned with a cloth-covered lump that was roughly the size of a basketball. He set it on the table in front of me and whipped off the cloth of with great flair. My reaction was a little. . . . anti-climatic. I studied it, tilting my head this way and that, trying to decipher what exactly it was, or was supposed to be. It had a vaguely humanoid shape, its what could be considered arms were raised high above a rather disproportionally large head. I was guessing he still had work to do on it, as instead of legs, it simply had a stump, like a tree.

"So what do you think?" he asked as he bit his lip, clearly eager to hear my opinion. I took a quick moment to decide on whether I should lie or not. Compared to others I'd seen, it was. . . . nothing special. But if I were to go on the assumption he had little to no experience with this stuff, it was actually pretty good. And I realized I didn't need to lie.

"It's really good," I said with a smile, feeling much better about myself as a good person when I saw his face light up. Also he was really cute when he perked up like that. _Why do I keep writing this shit?_ "The only thing I noticed is the head's a wee bit big for the body."

He nodded. "That's intentional. I did it as a reminder to myself that no matter what happens, no matter how popular or famous I might get, that I should never let it go to my head and forget who I am and where I came from," he said as he looked at the sculpture.

I have to admit, I was extremely shocked at that. He'd always seemed—from what I saw, I can't say I knew he was for I did not know him very well—so lighthearted and goofy, not to mention he was a football player. I'd never expected something so. . . . so deep or meaningful to come out of his mouth. He earned some major respect points for that. Though now I suddenly felt more self-conscious about my own project, which had no deeper meaning to it other than it was of me and my dog.

"What about your project? Can I see it?" I find it odd he asked me that question right as I was thinking about how I suddenly didn't want to show it to _anybody_ out of shame that it was so shallow. But I didn't want to be rude, so I reluctantly agreed and went to go fetch it.

After setting it on the table, I removed the cloth and showed it to him with far less aplomb than he had. I'd already finished the me half of it, but the part that was supposed to be Sven was still just a formless, shapeless lump of clay. I decided not to wait for him to ask what it was, and told him, "It's supposed to be me and my dog, Sven. I still have to finish Sven. Sadly, it really doesn't have the deeper meaning that yours does."

Mike chuckled and shook his head. "It's still really good though. Better than mine, actually," he snorted with a shrug. I scoffed.

"Depends on what you're judging it on. I usually take how good it looks and average it with the meaning behind it. So going based off of that, yours is actually much better than mine," I said with a smile. He studied me a moment.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he chuckled, pointing an accusing finger at me. I laughed and pushed his finger out of my face, being wary as usual of my glasses. They were a bitch to clean.

"I'm not, I'm being honest," I said with a grin, amazed at myself. Normally I was never this at ease around someone I barely knew, but for some reason, there was just something about him that pushed my anxieties aside and allowed me to joke around with him like we were friends. It was an entirely new experience, and I felt rather giddy. That only helped to enhance my ease around him. I had almost deluded myself into thinking we'd be friends.

"So how come you're leaving already? We've still got another half hour before class starts," I asked curiously as I decided to work on my project with him there. If I was focused enough, I was pretty damn good at multi-tasking.

Mike shrugged as he sat in the seat next to me, boredly prodding at his own sculpture, fixing things here and there. "I was kind of getting frustrated with it, and decided to give up for the day," he snorted.

I chuckled and nodded. "Understandable. I've felt that lots of times, mostly with my sculpting and my drawing," I said with a shrug, trying not to be so OCD about getting Sven's big ol' ears just right.

"Usually only happens to me when I'm drawing," Mike said with a chuckle. I immediately perked up at that.

"You draw?" I said stunned.

"Yeah. I draw manga all the time," Mike said with a grin. I grinned right back.

"Awesome! I've always wanted to draw like that."

Mike's grin widened at my enthusiasm. "Maybe I'll give you lessons some time," he said. I embarrassingly lit up like a Christmas tree.

"That would be awesome!" I gushed, already feeling the embarrassment at my eagerness set in. I made a mental note to tone it down from now on, though Mike didn't seem to mind too much.

We lapsed into an easy conversation from then on as we both worked on our projects. By the time the bell rang, Mike's sculpture had legs—albeit rather thick ones—and Sven was now a shapeless blob with pointy ears and stumpy legs. We both laughed at one of Mike's jokes as we put our projects away and said see ya before parting ways to go to our respective classes.

I noted as I walked away that he hadn't asked to hang out at lunch or anything, so I figured my hopes that we'd actually be real friends was just a pipe dream. As usual. I shrugged it off and spent the rest of the time until lunch focusing on my schoolwork and not on what might have been. It was never good to dwell on the past. . . . Which I'm dwelling on by not shutting up about how I'm not dwelling on it, aren't I? MOVING ON.

I arrived at Sue's office to find it locked and dark, and I got a flashback to Tuesday. As I turned to begin my trek to the library, I did a quick check to make sure there were no random Asian kids who could possibly run me over. Thankfully I managed to reach the library without incident and headed inside. I spotted a girl I always saw in the library when I did go in there—Lily, if I remembered correctly—and she always seemed nice, but I never approached. I quickly put my head down before she could catch me staring like a freak and made my way to my usual spot in the far back.

After a while I heard some unfamiliar voices and looked up to see some of the Glee club members standing at the table where Lily was, Mike among them. He spotted me and waved with a smile, but before I could wave back, one of the other members, the one with the mohawk, caught his attention, along with mine.

"Dude, what are you doing?" the mohawked one said to Mike when he caught Mike waving at me.

Mike looked confused and from what I could lip-read, said something along the lines of "What?"

"She's friends with Sue."

"So?"

"So, she's friends with the enemy. She probably helps out Sue with her plots against us? Are you really gonna fraternize with the enemy?"

"They're probably lesbian lovers or something," the one known as Santana said. I mentally balked at that. I'd never been talked about before, to my knowledge at least, and this felt like a major invasion of privacy. I suddenly had much more sympathy for the new girl.

The rest of their conversation was said in a hushed tone that was too low for my hearing, but whatever it was, it hadn't made Mike very happy. He looked over at me with a serious expression and quickly looked away. And I couldn't help but feel hurt. The one person I'd thought could possibly be a real friend, and it had been ruined because his stupid team mates were so friggin' paranoid. I wanted to go over and beat every last one of them—excluding Mike and Lily of course—over their stupid heads with my stupid Algebra book.

It turns out I didn't need to as the Lily girl stood up out of her seat and began reaming them out for talking about me like that. She gained some major respect points, but I still wanted to get out of there. I'd see if Sue was back in her office yet, and if she wasn't, I'd hide out in the damn bathroom if I needed to.

Gathering up my stuff while forcing back the urge to cry, I quickly made my way out of the library. People were stupid. People were jerks. I couldn't believe anyone could be so. . . . ugh. I didn't need friends like that. And you know what?

I didn't need friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Again, I own nothing but the story and Izzy.

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Monday finally rolled around, and I still felt the sting from the incident on Friday, though it had lessened a lot. My reserve, however, had not. I'd already gotten out all of the crying I'd needed to for a good house once I got home, effectively worrying my parents and them forcing a "family discussion". After assuring them (falsely) that it was just from a stressful day of too much schoolwork, they finally left me to my homework and my loneliness. That didn't stop them though from from forcing me to go out Saturday AND Sunday for family outings, no doubt attempts to cheer me up, however fruitless.

I walked into school, having decided against going in early to avoid potentially running into Mike, someone I most certainly didn't want to see. I was pretty sure he didn't want to see me either. After finally running into Sue during lunch on Friday and had told her what had happened, she'd been royally pissed. I hadn't been around to witness it, but I'd read on various peoples' Facebook posts that Sue had barged into Friday's Glee club practice and had reamed out the entire Glee club for talking bad about me and causing me such emotional distress. I'd never been named in any of the posts, each one only mentioning "some chick", but it wasn't hard to discern who "some chick" was. I was one of very few students who Sue was nice to. I hadn't been happy with Sue's actions, since they'd most likely only made the Glee kids hate me even more, but I could at least understand the sentiment and why she did it. And for that I was grateful.

The kids I passed by didn't even glance my way as I headed to my locker, hands stuffed in the pockets of my sweat-jacket, the hood up to hide my face. I hoped I was sending out vibes that told everybody to leave me alone. I was in no mood to deal with anyone but Sue today. I did not get my wish, however, as suddenly someone grabbed my arm and dragged me into the janitor's closet. Immediately I started swinging. Whoever my accoster was yelped and quickly restrained my arms, and it took me a moment to realize that I was _not_ swinging at a random monster, but Mike Chang.

"What the hell are you doing?" I exclaimed once I finally wrestled my arms from his grip. He thankfully didn't put up much of a fight, though I kind of wish he had, just so I'd have an excuse to punch him. Can you tell I hold a grudge?

Mike cringed and immediately pulled his hands back against himself. "I'm sorry! I just really wanted to talk to you," he said, and I eyed him suspiciously. What could he want to talk to me about that was so important? In the janitor's closet, no less.

"I'm surprised you want anything to do with me. After all, isn't this cavorting with 'the enemy'?" I spat, mocking the name his friends had called me. To be honest, I didn't hate his friends. I hated that they'd be so judgmental of me when not a single one of them had ever met me or so much as said one word to me before. Had they gotten to know me, they'd know that I actually try to talk Sue out of her plots sometimes, I never help her with them, and I actually respect what they do. But nooo...They're "smarter than the average bear", as my mom and Yogi Bear would say.

Mike shook his head and looked at me rather seriously. "I just wanted to apologize for my friends. What they said was out of line. I don't think any of that at all. I'm willing to give benefit of the doubt. And. . . . I would like to still be your friend," he said with a sheepish shrug. I paused, biting my lip, feeling my anger ebb. He seemed sincere about still wanting to be my friend. I couldn't find the heart to stay mad. "We will have to keep it a secret from the other Glee kids though."

Well so much for that. . . .

I immediately scowled and crossed my arms angrily. "What, are you ashamed of me?" I snapped, my temper swelling all over again. Mike's eyes widened when he realized his error.

"Nonono, I didn't mean it like that!" he said, shaking his head vehemently. "I meant, I'm doing it in your best interest. Honest! If the other Glee kids knew we were friends, they'd treat you worse than they normally would to get you to leave me alone. And I don't want them doing that to you. Especially if you did end up deciding to stop being my friend."

I hesitated, eying him warily. He did seem very genuine, and I couldn't really picture him deceiving me in that way, and. . . . honestly, I just couldn't say no to that face of his. I hated it, but at least I'd finally have a friend. Aside from Sue, that is. "I'd like to be friends," I said honestly with a small smile.

Mike grinned broadly and pulled me into a rib-bruising hug, which I returned, though not as tightly. I didn't want to crush him. He finally pulled away a few moments later, looking pleased as punch. "How about we hang out today, after school? We can do whatever you want to do," he grinned.

"Sure, sounds like fun," I said with a grin and a nod. Mike beamed.

"Awesome. I'll see you in the Art Room after Glee practice," he grinned, giving me a peck on the cheek before—and my God strike me down if I'm lying—_dancing_ out of the room. I laughed at that and shook my head, exiting the room a moment later, skipping off. I hadn't forgiven the other Glee kids for what they did, but I wouldn't let them ruin a perfectly good friendship. I'd have to let Sue know, so she'd lay off Mike, if not the whole club.

I couldn't wait for after school.

* * *

I was working intently on my project in the Art room after school—I was proud that the clay Sven was starting to look more like the little chubby Corgi he was being modeled after—when I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I started to turn and heard a sudden whispered "Boo" in my ear, which caused me to jump in surprise and had me toppling out of my chair.

"I think this is the fourth time I've wound up on my back since last Tuesday," I said with a snort as I accepted Mike's offered hand to help me back up. I chuckled and brushed myself off.

"Sorry about that," he said with a grin, not sounding too sorry. I playfully punched his shoulder for the offense. "So are you ready to go?"

I chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, just gotta put this way, and I'll be ready," I grinned, glad I didn't have anything else to do. It was obvious he was excited to get going; he was practically bouncing up and down on his heels. Once my project was stowed away and had my backpack in my head, he practically dragged me out the door. We were the only students left, thankfully, so we walked in the open to his car.

"So where would you like to go?" he asked curiously as he opened the passenger side door for me with a bow. I blinked, feeling incredibly flattered and impressed. Looks like chivalry wasn't completely dead. It still had one lifeline in Mike.

I had to think about it a moment as I climbed in and buckled up. Mike distracted me momentarily as he danced around the car to the other side to get in. I had to laugh at that. Once he was in the car, I had an answer for him.

"Let's go to the playground," I said with a wide, child-like grin. "I feel like being five today after all this stupid teenage drama."

Mike chuckled and nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said with a grin, turning on the car. Immediately old-school R&B began playing from the speakers of his radio. I snorted and looked at him incredulously. "Hey, it was either this or J-Pop," he said with a laugh.

I laughed and grinned. "Just drive, Mikey boy," I teased, playfully shoving his shoulder. He laughed and drove off towards the elementary school not far from our high school. We both hopped out once he'd parked.

"Race ya!" he grinned a moment before taking off in a dead run.

"No fair! You're a football player!" I called after him with a laugh as I took off after him as fast as I could go, which wasn't anywhere near as fast as Mike. He was a physically fit football player, and I was a writer/artist who would often joke that I was allergic to exercise.

Needless to say, he won. By the time I reached the playground equipment, he was already at the top of the slide. I snorted and quickly joined him, slightly winded. "You suck," I chuckled, resisting the urge to push him down the slide. I didn't want to risk hurting him.

"You're just jealous of my amazing athletic skills," he joked with a grin as he sat with his legs on the slide, pulling me onto his lap. I didn't have a chance to ask what he was doing, because he gave a push and suddenly we were plummeting, slipping down the slide, squealing like little kids until we landed in a heap at the bottom. We didn't stay there for long though, as we were quickly back up on our feet and running around the playground like a couple of kids hyped up on sugar. Eventually we both collapsed on the merry-go-round.

"So what do you like to do for fun? Aside from art," he asked curiously with a chuckle, propping himself up on an elbow to look at me. I shrugged, stretched out on my back.

"When I'm not doing art, I'm either, reading, writing, playing with my dog Sven, watching TV or watching horror movies," I said with a chuckle, unsurprised by the shocked look he gave me. I know I still had as of yet to meet another fellow female horror fanatic. "I've got a twisted sense of what's entertaining."

Mike chuckled and waved it off. "I kind of like it. It's. . . . different. In a good way," he said with a grin, poking my nose. I squeaked and scrunched it up in response, rubbing it with a chuckle. "I notice you didn't list 'chillin' with friends' on that list. How come?"

I fidgeted at that, suddenly feeling very embarrassed and ashamed. No one ever understood why I never had any real friends, how I could be so shy to the point that I could never approach anyone my own age. I sighed and shrugged. "I don't have any friends, except for Sue," I said sheepishly. Mike looked at me in shock again, though there was a lot less awe this time.

"None?" he said stunned. "Why don't you have any friends?"

I shrugged again and looked down. "I'm normally really shy," I explained, going on. "Shy to the point I'm too scared to really approach anyone. I've always been this way. I wasn't as bad when I was young though. I was more open to going and making friends myself back then. I went to go make friends with one of the more popular girls in third grade. I wasn't unpopular, but I wasn't popular either, so I figured I had a shot. Turns out I was wrong. She and her friends humiliated me in front of the whole school and tormented me for months afterward. Ever since, I've been too scared to approach anyone. It's really kind of lame and embarrassing."

Mike shook his head, frowning. "It's not lame or embarrassing at all. Who was she? I'll hunt her down and. . . . well I won't beat her up 'cause I don't hit girls, but I will slushie her or something just as bad. Make her pay for what she did to you," he said. I smiled at his attempt to be protective and vengeful on my behalf, but I knew he wouldn't do anything. He knew the girl who had done it personally.

"Thank you, but no you won't," I said, patting him on top of the head like a puppy who attempted to do something nice for you but hadn't gotten it right. "Her name's Quinn Fabray."

Mike's frown faded into a look of shock, his eyebrow shooting up toward his hairline and his jaw dropping slightly. "Seriously?" he said stunned, to which I nodded. He stared at me in shock for a moment before slumping, looking dejected. "Damnit. . . . I wanted to avenge you, but now I can't. Cuz if I do, she'll know we're friends, and she'll tell the others, and they'll all make your life hell. Which has been hell enough from what I heard. This blows chunks."

"It's fine, Mikey. Just be my friend, and I'll be plenty happy," I said with a smile, reaching over and giving his hand a gentle squeeze. He smiled and sat up, tugging me up and bringing me into another hug, which I of course happily returned.

I couldn't even begin to tell you how happy I felt. I hadn't had such a good friend in a long time, and certainly not one who'd accepted me so quickly. It was like he'd decided to skip the whole "let's hang out and get to know each other before I decide whether I really like you and care about you" spiel, and instead went right to "I don't care who you are or what you're like, I will be your friend and will always be your friend. . . . unless you turn out to be a serial killer or a prejudiced douche bag, then we're not cool anymore".

. . . . Wow I babble a lot.

Our hug was interrupted when we heard a familiar tinkling little tune that could only be the ice cream man. After chasing him down for about half a block, we happily returned back to the playground, me with my rainbow ice cream cup and him with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ice-cream-on-a-stick. He'd been thrilled when he was handed the Raphael one. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing until our ice cream was gone, and then it was time to go home. I had told him I could just bike home since he'd apparently strapped my bike to his car before coming to meet me in the Art room, but he insisted on driving me home. I was in too good of a mood and too lazy to argue.

After some helpful directions and a few missed turns, we eventually made it to my house. I could already see Sven waiting for me in the living room window. My parents cars were gone (thankfully), and fortunately I'd actually remembered my key that morning. Mike climbed out when I did, helping me get my back down from the roof of his car.

"Today was really awesome," he said with a grin, and I could tell he meant it. He also wasn't wrong. Today indeed had been really awesome.

"That it has," I agreed with a nod and a grin of my own, pulling him into a huge hug that lifted him off the ground a good inch for at least a moment or two before I had to set him back down due to my back screaming in protest. A weakling I was, and probably would always be.

"I'll see you tomorrow, fair lady," he said cheesily with a grand, dramatic bow that had me stifling my laughter. I curtsied back at him before heading up the walkway, jogging around to the back to stash my bike in the shed and heading in through the back door.

Would my parents question my sudden bi-polar-like mood shift from the past few days? Oh, most definitely. But then they'd find out why, be happy that their daughter would finally have a social life, and probably even have a little dance party once I was out of the room. I know it couldn't have been easy for them, having a daughter that was always home, impeding on their time to be alone and do. . . .

Ulch. Now I'm too sick to write. . . .


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** Izzy and the story are mine. Nothing else it.

* * *

The following day came as no surprise to me when it turned out to be _worse_ than yesterday. Anytime something good happened, something bad would happen to balance it out. And apparently my afternoon with Mike was so good (oh lord, I just realized how dirty that sounded), that it needed to spread the balancing bad throughout the _entire day,_ starting as early as last night.

I had fallen asleep to Arcattack's "Creepy Circus Song" on my laptop, and had a horrifying nightmare where I'd been trapped in a creepy, terrifying, Circus from Hell. I'd woken up at 3 in the morning screaming, which drew my parents from their slumber to come dashing into my room; mom with a baseball bat and dad with a shotgun. They'd managed to stop me in time from practically clawing my face off in my terrified, half-asleep stupor. This resulted in red welts that lasted for most of the day before finally fading. . . . once school was over. As a result of the nightmare and not being able to get back to sleep afterward, I was both groggy, somewhat disoriented, and very jumpy the whole day.

When I explained the situation to him, Mike had wanted to hang out with me after school until I calmed down, but I knew he had plans with Tina today after school (he'd mentioned them while we were IMing last night), so I'd told him if he didn't keep them, I'd shun from my life forever. He'd reluctantly agreed after that, much to my confusion. Honestly, I don't understand why a guy would want to hang out with me instead of his girlfriend. He could make-out with his girlfriend, after all.

. . . . Now I have an image of Mike making-out in my head. I really do hate myself sometimes.

Anyway, it was after school and I was at the local book store, looking to spend what was left over from my allowance last week on books. I was squatting down, browsing the titles on the lower shelves, when I felt a presence behind me. I blinked, hoping it wasn't Mike (I'd kill him for skipping out on Tina), but I turned around and instead found two girls standing above me who I recognized. They were both in the Glee club, and one of them was the girl I recognized as Lily. The other one, the one with green hair, I sadly did not know the name of. Before I could ask them what they needed, the girl with green hair spoke up.

"So are you and Mike secretly dating now or something?" she asked me, crossing her arms over her chest. I gaped at her in shock, my sleep-deprived brain almost unable to comprehend what she'd just asked me.

"We were driving past the elementary school yesterday after school and saw you and Mike hugging," Lily explained for her friend. I felt dread settle into the pit of my stomach. I knew Lily was willing to stand up for me being gossiped about, but that didn't necessarily mean she liked me. I especially had no idea how her friend felt about me. I feared they'd tell the other Glee kids, and it would be the end of the friendship between Mike and I. We'd only just started officially being friends yesterday, and already it was gonna be over? I couldn't friggin' believe it.

I vehemently shook my head, my heart pounding with fear. "No! NononoNO," I said desperately, scrambling back to my feet, vaguely surprised when I found I was taller than the two of them. "Mike and I are just friends. We're keeping it a secret so the other Glee kids don't decide to torment me to get me to leave him alone. It was his idea to keep it a secret. But we really are just friends, I swear."

Lily and the other girl eyed me for a few moments before looking at each other, again taking another few moments before shrugging and saying, "Sounds legit." They both turned back to me.

"I'm Marcie," the girl with the green hair said as she held out her hand to me. "Marcie Lane."

"Lily Munoz at your service," Lily said with a smile, holding out her hand as well.

I blinked, stunned, but shook both their hands. "Er, I'm Izzy. Izzy Campbell," I said politely.

"Come on. Let's go get coffee," Marcie said as she grabbed my hand and dragged me off towards the connected cafe, Lily walking alongside us. At the moment, I was too stunned to protest, simply going along with it.

She sat me at a table in the corner, Lily sitting across from me, and Marcie got our orders before skipping up to go get our coffees. I blinked after her before turning around to face Lily, and quickly looked out the window we were in front of. Whatever ease I had felt around Mike was nowhere to be seen with Lily and Marcie. I felt as socially awkward as I did around pretty much everyone else. Thankfully I wasn't alone as—from what I saw in my peripheral vision—Lily looked about as awkward as I felt.

The awkward silence was broken once Marcie returned, setting our coffees down as she sat down next to me. "So how did you and Mike meet?" she asked curiously, licking up the little bit of foam that had spilled onto her hand.

I shrugged, simply holding my coffee, letting it warm my hands as I waited for it to cool down a little bit. I had a sensitive tongue, so drinking it now would only scald my tongue. "Well, we first ran into each other last Tuesday, when he literally ran me over in the hallway. We were officially introduced though on Friday, when we ran into each other in the Art room," I explained.

"Why am I not surprised that Mike accidentally ran someone over?" Lily piped up with a snort, looking like she felt more at ease with Marcie back at the table and in the conversation. I, sadly, could not say the same. Lily already knew Marcie; I didn't really know either of them.

"So what do you usually do in your free time?" Marcie asked me curiously as she took a sip of her coffee. I blinked and shrugged.

"Um, watch horror movies, read, write, draw, sculpt, stuff like that," I said, wiping a single drop off coffee from the outer-rim of the plastic lid, licking it off my finger. I decided to take a test sip, and found the coffee to be sufficiently cooled off. Mmm. . . . French Vanilla-Mocha. Delicious.

"What, no chillin' with friends?" Marcie asked, and I had to snort at the question which had been the same thing Mike had asked me yesterday.

"Aside from Mike and Sue, I have no friends," I said with a shrug. Marcie and Lily looked at me in shock, and I feared I would have to explain to them like I explained to Mike. It wasn't a story I felt very comfortable telling people, and I tried to forget about it, succeeding most of the time. Usually the only times I remembered was either when saw Quinn (which was thankfully rare), or when someone asked me why I was so shy around people (even rarer).

Instead, though, Marcie said, "Well now you have two more friends."

I admit, I openly gaped at them both, my already malfunctioning mental gears nearly stopping completely. "Er. . . . Thanks?" was all I could manage to say.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that, during which I heard Boston's "More Than A Feeling" come on over the speakers, and I didn't realize I was quietly singing along until I caught Marcie and Lily staring at me, after which I awkwardly trailed off and muttered a sheepish, "Sorry."

"You should join Glee Club!" Marcie said with a grin. There was a pause, as I was too shocked to say anything, and then I promptly burst out laughing. I laughed so hard that people were starting to stare. Marcie frowned at my response. "What?"

"There is no way I can join Glee Club," I said, still coming down from my laughing fit. "First off all, I have no interest in Glee Club. It is just not relevant to my interests at all." I decided against mentioning my habit of dancing around my room singing along to my iPod. They might use that as ammo for their cause. "Secondly, pretty much the whole Glee Club, aside from you two and Mike, absolutely hate my guts 'cause of my friendship with Sue. You of all people should know that," I added to Lily, referring to the library incident. She flinched slightly at that, but seemed as determined as Marcie did.

"Fuck them then," she said. I blinked, stunned at the language. She looked so cute and sweet, that it was easy to forget she swore like a sailor, like any other teenager. "At least come to one practice. That's all we ask."

I hesitated, which they noticed and promptly gave me the pouty, puppy-dog looks, batting their lashes at me as they silently begged. I frowned, wanting so much to say no. But they seemed so eager to get me to go, so I sighed and relented. "Fine. I'll go to ONE practice, but I can't guarantee anything more than that," I said. What could one little practice hurt?

* * *

I was mentally cursing myself for agreeing to this stupid idea as I walked into the room where Glee Club was held after school. It was empty of people aside from Mr. Schuester and now myself. I stood just inside the doorway, debating on turning and bolting out of the room while I still had a chance, but Mr. Schuester looked up and saw me, and I was instantly rooted to my spot with fear.

I waited for a hostile response (surely he must know how close I am with his bitterest enemy), but he smiled rather sweetly at me. "Izzy, right?" he asked as he walked over. I nodded, fidgeting nervously. "Lily and Marcie already told me you'd be coming. It's nice to see new faces here." He held out his hand, which I nervously shook. "Go ahead and have a seat." I nodded and quickly scurried over to the chair that was as far in the back as was possible. Hopefully none of the other kids would see me when they came in.

The other Glee kids began filing in, and thankfully they came in twos or more, so were too busy talking to each other to notice the stranger hiding in the back with her hood up and head down. The two chairs next to me squeaked on the linoleum as two people sat down heavily in them. A glance up revealed Marcie and Lily. I felt a little bit better, but not much. My hands were still shaking from nerves. I finally raised my head all the way when I heard Mr. Schuester talking, starting today's lesson. I hoped to get through the practice with no one noticing me, but Mr. Schuester had other plans.

"We have a new person coming in here, a prospective new member. Izzy, would you please stand up?" he said with a smile in my direction. I swear everyone could hear the loud, echoing thud of my stomach dropping to the floor as I reluctantly stood up. I glanced around the room, and the only people _not_ giving my death glares were Mr. Schuester, Marcie, Lily, Mike (who looked more shocked than anything), and Tine. Even Artie and Brittany, two of the people who looked like the sweetest people in the world, looked less than happy to see me. My heart began racing. "How about you show us some of your talents?" I nearly keeled over in a dead faint when Will asked me that. But it was a reasonable request, so I couldn't say no.

I made my way down to where he was, being careful to stay out of arm's reach of the people I passed, and finally was standing next to him. "What would you like to sing?" Mr. Schuester asked me. I hesitated, the song I'd picked out last night not exactly. . . . well, Glee-like. Instead of answering, I scurried over to the band and whispered my request to them. They gave me odd looks but nodded, so I headed back to Will, who looked very confused.

The band began playing the song, and I had a moment of panic because it didn't sound as awesome and intense as the original. Not to mention most of the anger on the other kids' faces had turned to a mix of irritation and confusion. I forced back the panic and began singing quietly, swaying slightly on my feet as the nerves left me feeling vaguely light-headed.

_Lay beside me, tell me what they've done_

_Speak the words I wanna hear, to make my demons run_

_The door is locked now, but it's opened if you're true_

_If you can understand the me, then I can understand the you_

_Lay beside me, under wicked sky_

_Black of day, dark of night, we share this pair of lives_

_The door cracks open, but there's no sun shining through_

_Black heart scarring darker still, but there's no sun shining through_

_No, there's no sun shining through_

_No, there's no sun shining_

Once it got to the chorus and the beat intensified, I began singing a little bit louder, my eyes closed to block out everyone's faces, instead focusing on the song and putting my emotions behind my singing.

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_Turn the pages, turn to stone_

_Behind the door, should I open it for you?_

_Yeah_

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_Sick and tired, I stand alone_

_Could you be there, 'cause I'm the one who waits for you_

_Or are you unforgiven too?_

The beat slowed down and got quieter again, so I began singing a little more quietly, with less intensity, though not as quietly as when I first started singing. I was quickly lost into the song.

_Come lay beside me, this won't hurt I swear_

_She loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again_

_She lay beside me, but she'll be there when I'm gone_

_Black heart scarring darker still, yes she'll be there when I'm gone_

_Yes she'll be there when I'm gone_

_Dead sure she'll be there_

My hands fisted as the beat picked up again with the oncoming chorus. I literally heard nothing but the music and my own voice, whether it be because everyone was so quiet or that's how lost I was, I didn't know.

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_Turn the pages, turn to stone_

_Behind the door, should I open it for you?_

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_Sick and tired, I stand alone_

_Could you be there, cause I'm the one who waits for you_

_Or are you unforgiven too?_

There was a guitar solo at this point, which took me a little bit out of my zone as I didn't have anything to do, so just stood there awkward, though I kept my eyes closed. The solo faded into quiet, leading into the final verse before the final chorus(es?).

_Lay beside me, tell me what I've done_

_The door is closed, so are your eyes_

_But now I see the sun, now I see the sun_

_Yes, now I see it_

I was completely lost in the song now. There was only my voice and the music. I couldn't even feel my nerves wracking my body with anxiety. Just sound and blackness.

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_Turn the pages, turn to stone_

_Behind the door, should I open it for you_

_What I've felt, what I've known_

_So sick and tired, I stand alone_

_Could you be there, cause I'm the one who waits_

_The one who waits for you_

_Oh, what I've felt, what I've known_

_Turn the pages, just turn to stone_

_Behind the door, should I open it for you_

_Oh, what I've felt_

_Oh, what I've known_

_I take this key_

_And I bury it in you_

_Because you're unforgiven too!_

_Never free_

_Never me_

_Because you're unforgiven too.._

_Oo-Oh-Oo_

The song ended, the last guitar chord fading into silence. I opened my eyes, and looking at everybody's stunned expressions brought back every bit of my nervousness and anxiety. I felt almost sick to my stomach. There was a smattering of half-hearted applause, Marcie and Lily being the loudest, even throwing in some whistles and woo's. Mike gave me a thumbs up when no one was looking.

Mr. Schuester cleared his throat, drawing my attention. "That was very. . . . impressive," he said, just as shocked as everybody else. Nobody had expected me to be able to sing like that, as I was always the shy, quiet one in the back, more mouse than anything else. I was actually a little shocked at myself too. He turned to the others and said, "What did you guys think?"

Marcie and Lily piped up with, "It was freaking AWESOME!", but the rest were dead silent. I felt my stomach clench, my nerves getting the best of me.

"I think I'm gonna be sick. . . ." I groaned, promptly rushing out of the room, forgetting all about my stuff which I left behind, looking for the nearest toilet or trash can to release the upheaval into.

I managed to make it to the bathroom in time, and the actual "losing my lunch" part was fairly quick, followed by a few minutes of dry-heaving. Once it was over I slumped against the divider, pressing my face against the cool plastic as my anxiety slowly faded, leaving me feeling exhausted. I wanted to just stay there forever, or at least until Glee Club practice was over before going to get my things. Again, Mr. Schuester interfered with my plans as he sent Rachel to come check on me. I debated on telling her that I was too sick to go back, but that would require speaking, which I didn't want to do. So I reluctantly followed her back to the practice room, ignoring the hateful glares she was shooting me.

I reassured Mr. Schuester when we returned that I was okay, that it was just my nerves getting the better of me, and no I didn't need to go home. Once he was satisfied that I was in fact okay, I reclaimed my seat next to Marcie and Lily. They both enveloped me in a hug once I was seated, which I returned weakly. With the anxiety gone, my stomach felt hollow and my limbs felt like lead weights.

The rest of the practice went by rather boringly, and then finally it was over. Will said on my way out that he hoped to see me in future practices, sounding surprisingly sincere. I told him I'd think about it and trudged out to my bike, heading home, wanting to just curl up on my bed for the next several hours, or even several days if it was possible.

All in all, though, the practice had gone better than I'd been expecting.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The song Izzy sing's in Glee practice, for those who don't already know, is Metallica's "The Unforgiven II". That's right, she sang Metallica in Glee. That's how badass she is.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing recognizable except Izzy and the story.

* * *

"You WHAT?"

I flinched at Sue's harsh tone, shrinking down in my seat. I'd just told her about yesterday, more importantly, my "audition" for Glee Club. I hadn't had a chance to tell her that I thinking about not going back before she'd snapped. She probably felt like it was a betrayal, and I could understand that, but it's not like I did it intentionally. I wasn't even planning on even going back!

"You're really going join that. . . . that colossal waste of time?" Sue said incredulously, glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead ten times over. But my stubborn streak reared, and I wanted to leap to the defense of something my friends enjoyed.

"I don't know, maybe. Probably not. But if I did, it wouldn't be a waste of time because it'd be something I enjoyed," I said firmly, crossing my arms. Even as I said it, I knew deep down I would never join Glee Club. Sure, it'd be nice to hang out with Marcie, Lily, and Mike, but the other kids hated me way too much for me to properly enjoy it. Plus there was my whole anxiety about being on stage. I would never be able to do any of the competitions, not without having a panic attack so bad I'd pass out on stage.

Sue fell silent, eying me with an unknown look on her face. After a few moments of silence, she finally said, "I could use that to my advantage." I frowned. I knew what Sue was thinking, and there was just no way I was going to do it. No. Freaking. Way. I was instantly on my feet.

"_No,_ Sue. I will not be your pawn in your vendetta against the Glee Club," I said sternly. "I won't stop you, because there's nothing I can do to do that, but I'm sure as hell not gonna help you! Those kids hate me, they'd think I was a spy if I joined Glee Club, even if I wasn't. The main reason I won't do it though is I have friends in Glee Club. I can handle the other kids hating me. That's fine. But I'm NOT going to do anything to give my own friends in this hell-hole reason to hate me!"

For the first time in probably a very, very long time, Sue Sylvester was stunned speechless. And who could blame her, really? I was quiet. Even when I got mad, I was more likely to shut up and go stew in another room somewhere than anything. I'd never raised my voice to _anyone_ before. I was actually a little shocked at myself, to be honest.

"Okay," Sue said, surprisingly quiet. "If you do decide to join Glee Club, I won't have you be my spy. I'll let you be." With my demands met, my anger receded a lot, but I didn't sit back down. I needed a little time to myself to cool off the rest of the way. Plus, the bell would be ringing in about ten minutes.

Picking up my backpack, I turned to Sue and said, "I'll see you tomorrow. Later, Sue." I even made sure to give her a hug so she'd know I'd forgiven her. With that, I was out the door and headed towards the library. I only made it about halfway though when Rachel Berry—one of the few Glee kids whose name I actually knew—suddenly appeared in front of me. I nearly ran into her she'd appeared so quickly. And she did not look happy.

"What are you plotting?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at me accusingly, crossing her arms over her chest. When I simply stared at her blankly, she continued, "Oh don't play dumb with me. I saw you talking with Sue." Again, another blank stare. She seemed annoyed by that. "Oh, come on! You're friends with Sue, and you suddenly decide to 'join' Glee Club? What are you two plotting against us?"

I went from staring at her blankly to looking at her like she'd lost her ever-loving mind. Which she obviously had. "Whoa, hold up. I am not plotting anything against you. Sue is, undoubtedly, but I am not. I have no intention of helping Sue bring you guys down. Also, I _don't_ want to join Glee Club." I ignored her snort of incredulity and continued. "I have no interest in Glee Club. I don't like participating in competitions. The only reason I went to that one was because Marcie and Lily talked me into going."

"A likely story," she spat, to which I rolled my eyes. I didn't have the patience for her right now. Not after Sue and I just had a fight.

"Look," I said firmly, trying to keep a lid on my temper, "I don't care whether you listen or not. I am not plotting anything against the Glee Club. I couldn't care less about the Glee Club. Glee Club is not my thing, but I respect what you guys do. Now please, move out of my way."

"If I catch even the slightest whiff that you're plotting something against us, I promise you, I will show this whole school just what a piece of scum you are," she hissed threateningly, pointing an accusing finger in my face.

Now, I'm not proud of what I did next. I'm 100% anti-violence (except in movies of course), and I will even run away as fast as I can if a fight starts to turn physical. But she just hit the right nerve at the right time. I'm only thankful that there weren't any kids around to see it.

I slapped her across her stupid little face and stepped around her and stormed off towards the library while she was still too stunned to react.

* * *

I'd been hoping that once I got home after school my bad mood would have lifted, but no such luck. Not even my favorite horror movies could cheer me up. If it had just been my fight with Rachel, I'd be fine. But after leaving her for the library, I'd spotted Mike and Tina off in the corner arguing quietly. Not that big of a deal, right? Wrong. When Mike and I did talk about him and Tina, he always had good things to say. They had always seemed to happy. Mike had even bragged that they'd never even had a single fight!

So I saw that, and instantly was worried. Unfortunately I couldn't approach him once she'd stormed off, because we weren't supposed to be friends at school. So I'd gone through the rest of the day stressing over it, wondering and worrying if he was okay. I'd even hung back in Art for a little bit after school, in hopes that he'd be stopping by to work on a project or something. No such luck. I'd ended up riding home dejected and worried even more.

As soon as I'd gotten home, I'd said a quick hello to my parents before rushing up to my room. Once the door was shut, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Mike's number, throwing myself on my bed. _Pick up, pick up, pick up,_ I mentally begged as I heard the ringing on the other end. It rang, and rang, and rang. . . . And then went to voicemail. I huffed and hung up, throwing my phone in frustration.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed my laptop and started it up, it's usual five-second-long start up seeming to last an eternity in my worried impatience. Once the WiFi connected, I opened up my IM program, hoping to see Mike on my Friends Online list. He wasn't. Nor even Marcie or Lily were, which didn't help my mood. Now I had no one to vent to, except for Sven, who was snoring loudly in his doggie bed over by my desk. I could go to my parents, but they'd just tell me not to worry about it, which is not what I needed or wanted to hear right now.

I looked up from my thoughts when I heard my door open and saw my mom peeking in my room. "Sweetie, there's someone here to see you," she said. I could hear her laugh as I bolted out of my room past her, rushing down the stairs, being mindful not to trip. I spotted Mike over by the door, and nearly knocked him over with the force of my hug as I launched myself into his arms. I cannot begin to tell you the immense relief I felt when I saw him. He laughed as I dragged him up the stairs to my room, though I had to resist the urge to growl like a dog at my mom when she told us to keep the door open.

"So. . . . I saw you and Tina arguing earlier," I said as I plopped on the bed, my impatience and curiosity getting the better of me, I'm sad to say. "Is everything okay between you two? I mean, what was the argument about?"

Mike blinked at me and chuckled when my queries registered, waving off my worry. "Everything's fine. It was just over something stupid. There's nothing to be worried about, I promise," he said with a nod and a smile. I could tell there was something he wasn't telling me, but I didn't want to push it. I fidgeted, trying to think of something to change the subject to, though Mike beat me to it.

"What were you watching?" he asked me curiously, motioning to my TV where I had one of my horror movies on pause after getting fed up that it hadn't been improving my mood like it should have.

"Psycho Ward," I said with a shrug, proceeding to tell him what it was about. He perked up and asked me to play it. I chuckled and started it over from the beginning, pressing play. As the movie started playing, we both got comfy on my bed, me up by the pillows and Mike at the foot of my bed. We happily watched it, even managing to get in another movie before my mom came up around six and asked Mike if he was going to stay for dinner.

Mike declined, saying he was going to have dinner at his house, and departed after giving me a hug good-bye. I sat back to finish the rest of the movie before checking my computer again. I found IMs from Marcie and Lily in our group chat. I said hello, and soon our topic of conversation turned to what happened today. I told them about Mike and how we spent our afternoon, and then made the mistake of mentioning how bad a mood I'd been in thanks to Sue and Rachel. Not because I thought they'd get pissed off at Sue or want to get revenge at Rachel. No, it was a mistake because of what they did next.

To be honest, as I related the tale of my fight with Sue and the confrontation with Rachel, I could feel my temper start to rise at the memory off it. I got pissed off all over again. And I told them so, another mistake.

Lily and Marcie began saying that I should join Glee Club just to spite them all. I was resistant at first, but with each reply, they seemed more and more convincing. Finally, when I was all gun-ho for the idea, I told them I would. I'd join Glee Club just to spite them, and rub it in their faces. What I'd rub in their faces, I don't know. We were too riled up to make sense.

With me finally in agreement, they told me that they'd hold me to my word, and I knew they would. I, regretfully, promised them that I would not go back on my word, that I _would_ join Glee Club whether the other kids liked it or not. Biggest. Mistake. Of. My. Life.

I swear to God, I will never let those two take advantage of me when I'm angry or over-emotional ever again.


End file.
